First Impressions of France

Trafalgar tour of Europe: We started at the Hotel Ibis in Earl’s Court, London, meeting our tour guide Julie, and fellow passengers on the evening prior to departure. A mixture of Australians, New Zealanders, Americans, British and South Africans, we travelled via coach down to Dover. We crossed to France by ferry on the P & O ‘Pride of Dover’. The journey was smooth and only the aeroplane vapour trails criss-crossing the sky punctuated the clear blue vista. We celebrated the moment with a glass of Piper-Heidsieck. Arriving in Calais, we met with our Belgian driver, Marcel, who would look at after us during the tour. The French weather was very wintery with snow on the ground and it was so grey that it was impossible to see much of the landscape. We finally arrived at the Hotel Kyriad Porte d’Ivry, Boulevard Périphérique, Paris. The room was cozy, so two people and large suitcases (we were travelling from Australia for 6 weeks in winter) could barely fit, let alone allowing for two single beds …. what?! … despite being married for 20 years, this is what you get on a coach tour!

C’est moi in our spacious hotel room on the Boulevard Périphérique, Paris

First impressions: Paris is HUGE and the traffic was chaotic. From our hotel, it still took over an hour to drive into the centre of the city so that we could begin our evening coach tour of the major Parisian sights. After dinner, those on the coach who had opted for the extra tour (additional cost) were injected into an express queue for an exciting elevator ride to the 2nd level observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. This was something that we were not going to miss out on experiencing but I was so scared. Heights are just not my thing. I managed to get myself to the railing because this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. An awe-inspiring view of Paris was spread out below us and, afterwards, we were rewarded by the spectacular strobe lighting of the Eiffel Tower, which Chris managed to capture in the first photo.

C’est moi trying to look brave on the Eiffel Tower

The following day, we were lucky to have a local guide, Gloria, join our coach. She brought Paris to life with various stories of the famous sites as we drove past and a visit to Hôtel des Invalides, which includes a military museum, Napoleon’s tomb and a military hospital.

Some of us continued with another extra tour to Versailles. We enjoyed an express entry to the Palace and Gloria guided us through the major rooms and brought their history to life. The opulence and sense of centuries of history were overwhelming.

Back into the city of Paris for the afternoon, we were given free time. Now this might sound great but, as first timers to this city, it was also quite daunting. With the aid of a map (no GPS in those days), we managed to find a department store and purchased another memory card for the camera and searched out a bottle of French wine. Finally, we indulged in coffee and a piece of pomme tartin at the café Les Relais Opera where we learnt that being a waiter in France is a serious occupation. Waiters are dressed immaculately in white shirts, black trousers and long white aprons and they are consummate professionals. The interior was beautiful and in the style of art deco.

Later that night, we went to the Moulin Rouge (another additional tour but not to be missed). Our fellow coach-members that night were Michelle from Cape Town, Lizeth and her 13-year-old daughter, Lizzie, from Miami and a family from Philadelphia that included three teenage boys. I remember thinking how surreal it felt to be sitting there enjoying the food, wine and show at such an iconic venue with this multicultural and multi-aged mixture companions and knowing that I wanted more of this lifestyle. This could not be a once-in-lifetime trip! I wanted more. Needless to say, the show was full of action and colour and was much more than scantily-clad young women. It was such an incredible night of entertainment and I recommend that you attend at least once if you have the opportunity.